Although 2023 is almost over, APIFantasy is here to present our ultimate test of immortals to see how well you've cultivated your skills this past year. Explore the Chinese Zodiac and Asian Fantasy tropes with this year's event: The Immortals' Conquest.

In this event, you'll be tasked with writing a short story or novella featuring an Asian protagonist. Each prompt is inspired by elements of Asian mythology and folklore. Do you have what it takes?

The goal is to help you get more words in before the year ends and the Lunar New Year begins! How many words can you get in during NaNoWriMo?

List of Participating Profiles

APIFantasy

lowfantasy

mythandlegend

Are you ready to ascend to the next level? With our collection of prompts, each hosted by a member of the Chinese Zodiac, which will you explore?

Each Zodiac leads to a different level of enlightenment. Choose one and begin your ascension:

1. The Rat - The Redeemer

In a land where martial arts are outlawed, a group of young warriors seeks to revive an ancient martial arts school hidden deep in the mountains. They must train in secret while evading the ruthless authorities.

2. The Ox - The Savior

In a world where elemental magic is rare, a humble blacksmith discovers a hidden scroll that teaches him to infuse his martial arts with elemental powers. He must keep this newfound ability a secret as he becomes embroiled in a conflict between rival martial clans.

3. The Tiger - The Conqueror

In a realm of immortal cultivators, you receive a cryptic scroll from the Celestial Order, revealing the existence of the ancient Relic, a source of unparalleled power. As you embark on your quest to find it, you'll face rival cultivators, ancient sects, and moral dilemmas along the way. Will you choose the path of virtue or power as you journey through the mystical realms to uncover the Celestial Relic's secrets?

4. The Rabbit - The Matchmaker

When your parents send you off for a matchmaking session, you discover the person they want you to marry carries a supernatural secret.

5. The Dragon - The Scribe

As you write a novel retelling Japan's classic myths and folktales, characters from your story begin to come to life. It's up to you to save both worlds and prevent the world of the story from overtaking reality.

6. The Snake - The Scout

You are walking out on the clifftop, and you see a fleet of pirate ships from Singapore on the horizon. As you watch, you realize they are heading towards the coast. How will you address this invasion?

7. The Horse - The Saint

You live in a small Korean village where people are dying from a strange sickness that people are saying is a plague. You discover you possess magical healing abilities that cure the diseased of their ailment. However, where there is a saint, there is also a devil.

8. The Goat - The Star

You play a dating sim game that features constellations represented as love interests, thinking there is no way to find love better than to stick to those who are compatible with your star sign. When you fall asleep one night, you awaken to discover you have been transported into the game! Which star will capture your eye?

9. The Monkey - The Lost City

Your character arrives in the ruins of an Ancient Chinese city. This city had once been the crown jewel of the empire, but something or someone had reduced it to ash. Your character picks their way through toppled columns of marble and broken statues, looking for signs of life. As they explore, they begin to notice that the only statues left standing are the ones depicting the kingdom's youngest prince.

10. The Rooster - The Dreamer

You're on vacation in a foreign country in West Asia. During an excursion, you discover the places you visit are places you've seen many times in your dreams. Before you can question the possibility, a powerful gust sends you to a land where an adventure fraught with challenges and an all too familiar love interest awaits you.

11. The Dog - The Survivor

When you and a group of other high school students are traveling abroad to study history, your plane crashes in the dense jungles of Thailand. It's up to you and your companions to survive the traps the jungle hides and uncover the secrets of the mysterious treasure that calls to you.

12. The Pig - The Mysterious Key

Your character hammers a hand against a locked window. It's a sunny day, and the air outside smells of pollen and apples, but the room is stale. Your character has not been outside for months. All they have is a rusty key, older than the Imperial Palace itself, but they cannot find what this key unlocks.

✿ Grand Winner

✿ Runner-Up (2x)

✿ Asian Mythology/Folklore All-Star (Most Asian Mythology/Folklore Featured)

✿ Favorite Main Character

✿ Favorite Villain

✿ Favorite Plot Twist

✿ Favorite Couple

✿ Favorite World

❁ You must have the first 5,000 words of your story written by December 1st. Those who pass Round 1 will leave the Mortal Realm and enter the Beast Realm, where the next milestone awaits.

❁ You must have the first 10,000 words of your story written by January 5th. Those who pass Round 2 will leave the Beast Realm and enter the Heavenly Realm, where the final milestone awaits.

❁ You must have between 10,000 and 20,000 words of your story written by February 1st. The contest ends on February 1, 2024 11:59 PM EST. Any entries received after this time will not be included in judging.

✿ The contest runs from November 1, 2023 until February 1, 2024. The contest ends on February 1, 2024 11:59 PM EST. Any entries received after this time will not be included in judging. Winners will be announced towards the end of March.

✿ Your entries must not exceed 20,000 words and must be newly written.

✿ Because this is an Asian Fantasy contest, your character must be of Asian descent. We accept protagonists from any Asian country, including Asian Americans and multiracial Asians. We are not accepting fanfiction or alternate universes (AUs) as we wish to highlight original stories from the Asian community.

✿ We accept entries in English.

✿ You may complete as many entries as you like, but only one can win in the end. Please publish your story as a separate book.

✿ OPTIONAL: tag your stories with #IMC2023 and/or #ImmortalsConquest2023

✿ Mature content is accepted, but it must follow Wattpad Content Guidelines.

✿ Entries for Round 1 must be submitted via this FORM. Submission forms for Round 2 and Round 3 will be provided later on. Check our section titled Submission Forms for updates.

✿ You are welcome to share your entries in the comments. Please don't DM us your entries and use the form when you're ready to submit.

✿ If you want to incorporate Asian Mythology and Folklore, please check out our articles in our Asian Mythology and Folklore Anthology.

All participants are entitled to receive a Participant Sticker upon submission of their entry.

The category winners will receive:

❁ A shoutout from all participating profiles.

❁A winning sticker to commemorate your victory in one or more of our categories.

❁ A feature in our reading list if your work is a standalone (not a sequel or can be read and understood without reading other books in the series).

❁ A feature in APIFantasy's Summer 2024 Cultivation Month Catalog, if it meets APIFantasy's submission guidelines.

❁ A feature of your first chapter in lowfantasy's anthologies.

❁ An interview, which will be featured in APIFantasy's So You Want to Be Immortal? Anthology.

✿ Round 1 Submission Form - Submissions open until Dec 1st, 2023; 11:59 EST

✿ Round 2 Submission Form - Submissions open until Jan 5th, 2024; 11:59 EST

✿ Round 3 Submission Form - Submissions open until Feb 1st, 2024; 11:59 EST

Do I have to make a new book?

Stories must be newly written and read as a standalone one-shot. If your new story is part of an existing short story collection, it won't be featured on the reading lists of the participating profiles.

Does it have to be 20,000 words? Can I write a one-shot?

That is the word limit, no more. You're welcome to write a short one-shot, but be mindful of how much you'll be able to portray in a single chapter.

Does my story have to be in English?
We are only accepting entries in English and Chinese this year.

Can I do a co-written story with someone?

Yes, you can! However, if you choose to publish on both your profiles, be aware that we can only add one story to our respective reading lists, not both.

Can I enter more than one entry?

Yes, but only one can win.

What about Mature? Are LGBTQ+ characters allowed?

Of course! We always welcome LGBTQ+ characters and stories. Mature is allowed so long as it meets Wattpad's Content Guidelines. Stories that do not meet this won't be accepted. Please keep in mind that we are not accepting fanfiction or alternate universes (AUs).

How will our entries be judged?

Stories are judged on various factors, such as writing quality, originality, and relation to the chosen prompt. Ensure you are proofreading your work before submitting it! If you do not wish to participate in the contest but would like to use a prompt for one of your stories, you are free to do so!

Can I change the details of the prompt I've chosen or combine prompts?

You are welcome to combine prompts, but your entry must follow one main prompt. Modifications to the prompt are permitted if the chosen prompt is still recognizable. You cannot reuse/rewrite an older story for this contest, its date of publication must not precede this contest.

How do I submit my story for this contest?

Please review our section titled Submission Forms.

Please note this contest and its rules were created by the APIFantasy team and is in no way affiliated with Wattpad Ambassadors or Wattpad HQ staff. We reserve the right to refuse entries that do not meet the criteria outlined in the Rules & Guidelines chapter or are triggering to our team. We are not obligated to provide feedback to all users, and any that we do provide is at our discretion.

Extensions will not be granted to ensure everyone is given an equal amount of time to complete and submit their entries. The decision of the judges is final and any abusive language directed towards the profile and its team will not be tolerated and will likely result in disqualification of your entry. Please review the guidelines carefully prior to submitting and send us a message if you have any questions or concerns you would like to raise.